Last updated on: June 17, 2026 09:46 IST
Lionel Messi equals men's World Cup all-time scoring record with hat-trick in Argentina's Group J opener against Algeria.
Key Points
- Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar four years ago, played his 200th match for the country.
- He put the defending champions ahead in the 17th minute with a gem of a goal.
- Messi made it 2-0 for Argentina’s in the 60th minute.
- The hat-trick goal came in the 76th minute.
- He also found the net in the fifth minute, but his effort was flagged off-side.
- Algeria's Fares Chaibi also bulged the net in the eighth minute but was ruled off-side after a VAR check.
Lionel Messi equalled the men's World Cup all-time scoring record with a hat-trick as Argentina trounced Algeria 3-0 in their Group J opener on Tuesday.
His effort matched former Germany striker Miroslav Klose's tally of 16 goals.
Playing his 200th match for the country, Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar four years ago, put the defending champions ahead in the 17th minute with a gem of a goal.
He then made it 2-0 for Argentina in the 60th minute.
He found the net again in the 76th minute with another blistering strike to complete his hat-trick.
The first man to play at six World Cups also found the net in the fifth minute, but his effort was flagged off-side.
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Source: Rediff.com
